


Starving

by leeryderlavellan



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Blackwatch, Don't question me - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Hugs, LET GABE BE THE LITTLE SPOON, M/M, Other, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Sharing a Bed, and so do you, depends how tall you are, does he go by gabe or gabriel to his co-workers, don't @me he needs a hug, gabe is touch-starved, i play overwatch but the lore is non-existent, in any case, jetpacking, no clue, no seriously i have no answers, not me, possibly, sfw, this started out platonic actually, what base is this?, who knows - Freeform, you are both very awkward about everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 05:04:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17502122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leeryderlavellan/pseuds/leeryderlavellan
Summary: You are the head of security at an Overwatch Base. One day Gabriel Reyes shows up in your office and asks you for a favor.





	Starving

You hear the door to your office open and close, but you don’t look up from your reports – people walk in and out of this room without so much as a ‘hello’ on most days, everyone too busy with the task of keeping this base secure that pleasantries are left far behind in the civilian world. 

It’s not that you want to complain – in fact, not having to bother being polite when you had work to do was, in your eyes, one of the perks of your job. That and the incredibly comfortable computer chair you were sat in, which allowed you to wheel around to the various monitors that surrounded your desk. Currently, you were focused on the simple laptop sitting on top of your desk, however, fingers moving quickly as you typed out your daily analysis of how each security system was working.

It isn’t until a voice calls your name that you register that the person who’d just entered your office was there to speak with you.

“Hey [Y/N], how do you feel about hugs?”

“How do I feel about – huh?” you cut yourself off, looking up from your work to see an uncharacteristically nervous Gabriel Reyes standing in front of you. He was in his regular Blackwatch gear, minus any weapons, black attire standing out in stark contrast in your brightly lit office.

You and Gabriel had struck up a friendship since you had been hired last year as the head of security for an Overwatch base, the two of you sharing many lunches, and many stories over those lunches. You shared a dislike for red tape – something which often got in the way of both of your jobs – and a deep desire to keep people safe. Though he wasn’t nearly as technologically inclined as you were, Gabe had more than once prodded you for details over how several security systems worked, and always wanted to know the latest updates you and your team had implemented.

You also just…got along. There wasn’t a deep explanation for it, you two just felt comfortable around each other, like you’d been friends for a long time.

“That’s…almost what I said,” Gabe replied, the ghost of a smirk on his lips, though he still looked far too worried for your liking.

“I…” you trailed off, then shook your head, trying to focus as you continued, “…like them?”

You did like hugs, at least when you expected they were going to happen – surprise tackle hugs were dangerous, especially so, you imagined, in an environment where some of your co-workers were literal super soldiers that could probably squeeze the life out of you. Not that you thought Jack or Gabe would do such a thing, but you didn’t know the logistics of their super strength or how well they could control it.

…and now you were putting way too much thought into what it would be like to hug one of them, but…wasn’t that what Gabe had come to see you about?

“Oh. Good,” he said, cutting through your thoughts as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “I…need one,” he finally admitted, looking away from you as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Oh,” you replied simply, blinking quickly as you stared at the man in front of you. It was odd for Gabe to admit to needing anything from anyone, let alone something like this – you didn’t think you’d ever heard anything about him being vulnerable in any way, and rumors spread like wildfire in places like this. That meant he either had never asked anyone for emotional support before, or he only ever asked those he completely trusted – and as you realized what that meant for you, your heart ached, arms already itching to be thrown around him.

So you stood, just as it seemed Gabe was about to back out of your office, and made your way around your desk to him, stopping less than a foot in front of him. You looked into his eyes, which showed his surprise, and then slowly lifted your arms. If this was his first hug in a while, you wanted to let him take the lead. Instead of pulling you towards him, Gabriel chose to instead let the top half of his body fall rather unceremoniously onto you, his head coming into contact with your shoulder as he knocked you slightly off-balance. He compensated for this by wrapping his arms around your middle, planting his feet and holding onto you as though you were the only thing keeping him on the ground.

You were, admittedly, a bit dazed by the entire situation, taking a bit longer than necessary to return the hug. But you recovered from your shock and were soon alternating between patting Gabriel’s back and rubbing circles on it. As you did, you could feel some of the tension in his back and shoulders release, and you smiled against his shoulder. 

You were glad that you could help him like this; although your job was hugely important to the safety of everyone at the base, it wasn’t often that you felt a personal connection with any of your co-workers. That lack of connection had slowly begun wearing away at your psyche, and it wasn’t until this very moment that you realized how much – you were just as glad to be receiving a hug as you were to be giving one.

Maybe that was why Gabriel had come to you. He was nothing if not highly observant, and from all the time you’d spent together, he had probably figured out that you were feeling strained – and though you weren’t sure if he had meant to comfort you, you did figure that he had assumed you would understand his situation.

You were still introspecting when you felt Gabriel start to pull away, and you reluctantly dropped your arms, instinctively rubbing one arm with the opposite hand as you looked towards the floor. You barely noticed his boots moving out of your field of vision before he spoke up, pulling your attention to him as he stood by the door to your office, one hand hovering near the panel to open it.

“So, uh…” he trailed off, clearly at a loss for words – you could almost see the gears grinding in his mind – but then he looked away from you, face red as he continued, “…thanks.”

And then he left, and you stood there wondering if the exchange had actually happened, or if you had imagined it.

It felt unusually cold in your office for the rest of the day.

\---

That night, sleep didn’t find you, despite the fact that you were exhausted from a full day of work. You were lying on your bed, staring at the dark ceiling in a fit of hopelessness, wondering why your mind refused to shut off. Out of the blue, you recalled the incident in your office that day, and your face flushed slightly at the memory of Gabriel’s arms around you. It was perhaps the first real hug you’d experienced in months, and that might have been why you couldn’t stop thinking about it – but a deeper part of your consciousness begged you to realize it was something more, something bigger and better than that.  


Images assaulted your mind’s eye: of Gabriel’s eyes lighting up with laughter even as his mouth remained stoic, trying and failing not to laugh at a joke you’d made, of his tired face when he returned from a mission but made the trip to your office to say hello before he crashed, of his almost imperceptible smile as he would catch your eyes, breaking from whatever conversation he was embroiled in to acknowledge your presence.

Simple things, things that on their own shouldn’t mean much, but coupled with the way your heart raced at the memory of his touch – they meant something. Something you had been unconsciously avoiding for months, out of self-preservation or a deep fear of rejection – or both. All you knew, as you felt tears begin to prick your eyes, was that you wanted nothing in the world so much as to embrace Gabriel again.

Willing your tears away, you sat up on your bed, knowing you wouldn’t get sleep any time soon. You pondered a course of action as you looked around your rather bare room, wondering if it had felt so _empty_ before, and finally decided that a walk around the base might put your mind at ease – or, at the very least, it would tire you. You looked down at your pajamas, deciding that you didn’t care enough to change out of them before walking to your door and lifting your hand to the panel that would open it.

You almost closed it again out of pure instinct when there was someone standing on the other side, but he looked just as shocked as you did, and both you and Gabe had a hand floating in the air as you stared at each other.

“I was just about to knock,” he finally said, lowering his now loose fist, looking at you with a sheepish smile.

You were at a loss for words for only a few seconds before shaking your head, lowering your own hand as you smiled at him. “I was thinking of going for a walk. Couldn’t sleep. Do you need something? I didn’t expect anyone else to be awake at this hour.”

Gabe looked more nervous than he had earlier in the day, at your office, and your smile faded a bit as you noticed this.

“Thought maybe you’d seen me on your monitor,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. It’s then that you notice he isn’t wearing his beanie, and your mind registers and files away the fact that his hair looks nothing like what you expected – it looks soft, and though it is shaved on the sides, it falls somewhat loosely over his forehead. He was still in the rest of his normal attire, but just having taken off his beanie had made him look very different. “I was, uh, standing out there for a few minutes. I couldn’t sleep, either, but I didn’t want to bother you if you were asleep.”

You glanced briefly at the monitor on the small desk that sat near your bed, noting the empty hallway, before turning back to Gabriel.

“But you _were_ going to knock?” you asked, hoping your teasing tone would put him at ease. Instead, it might have had the opposite effect – he cast his eyes to the floor, and you were beginning to become seriously worried about this change in demeanor. Had something happened that you weren’t aware of?

“It’s just that I…” he began, glancing up at you for only a moment before returning his gaze to the floor, “I appreciate your company. I felt a lot better after seeing you today, but…it didn’t last.”

You were stunned. Hearing Gabriel speak so frankly about his emotions was something you had never expected to happen, certainly not to _you_. But again he glances up at you and he looks so vulnerable and so soft that you ache, wanting to hold him until he felt better.

“I shouldn’t be imposing on you, but I don’t know what else to do,” he said, cutting through your thoughts, and you were brought back to reality for only a moment before he asked, “Can I stay with you?”

You took a bit too long to process his request and his face falls, as he begins to mutter an apology. You grabbed his hand, hating to see him like this and deciding that there were worse fates in life than sharing your bed with a co-worker. Especially one whom you were now almost certain you had feelings for; your face was heating up just at the idea of sharing your bed with him.

“Sorry I’m uh, bad at words,” you said, still trying to put him at ease as you put on a genuine smile, “but you can sleep with me.”

A few seconds pass. A few more. And then you realize what you said, clamping your free hand over your mouth as your wide eyes found Gabe’s. He looked shell-shocked, but slowly a grin crept onto his face, and he chuckled at your reaction.

“I-I meant uh, that you can sleep…in my bed. With me,” you spoke through your fingers, then winced. “I’m not making this better, am I?”

“On the contrary,” Gabe said, slowly stepping around you to enter your room, “I’m glad I’m not the only awkward one here.”

Your jaw drops, but you’re soon laughing with him, and any tension in the air is dissolved at the sound. Some tension was returned when you closed your door, though, as you gestured vaguely towards your bed. Nodding, Gabe sat on the edge, removing his shoes and then moving to a relaxed position nearer the wall. You gulped, realizing you were going to be the big spoon in this situation, and slowly climbed back under your covers. You hoped your hands weren’t cold as you reached one arm over to wrap around Gabriel, and at feeling him tense up you freeze, suddenly unsure if this was what he wanted. He soon relaxed, though, one of his hands finding and covering yours. You smiled as you began snuggling into his back; lying there together felt so normal and so natural that you wondered how it took you this long to figure out that you liked him.

Then, just as you were about to drift off, doubts began needling you. Was it wise to do this when you didn’t know how he felt? Wouldn’t it hurt more, now that you knew what this felt like, if you told him and he wasn’t interested in you?

You inwardly cursed your own brain, but couldn’t stop the doubts that plagued you, and once again felt tears burning your eyes. Withdrawing the hand that was draped over Gabe, you quickly wiped at your eyes, turning to lie on your back in an effort to not spill any tears. He must have felt you move or heard your sharp intakes of breath, because you soon felt Gabe shift next to you, and you were certain he was staring at you but you refused to look at him. You couldn’t.

“[Y/N]? …is something wrong?” he asked, almost so quiet you couldn’t hear, then even quieter, “…should I leave?”

You turned to him then, and though it was difficult to make out his expression in the dim room, you knew it wasn’t a happy one.

“No, I…” 

You weren’t sure how to begin talking about what you felt, or if it was even the right time. It probably wasn’t. You decided to make an excuse, hoping against hope that it would be enough to get things settled for the night.

“It’s just been a while since I’ve been this close to someone,” you said, and you had meant closeness in the sense of literal proximity, but once again you realized you had muddled your meaning with poorly chosen words as you felt a small rush of air and then a hand on your cheek.

“Me too,” Gabriel returned, his voice steadier, but still fairly quiet. You wondered at his words; he had friends, certainly closer friends than what he must consider you. But his hand was warm and insistent on your cheek, and you could just make out his eyes searching yours in the darkness.

You couldn’t think of how to respond – you weren’t sure if you even _could_ , at the moment; it felt as though your voice had left you completely. Gabriel must have felt your hesitation, because he started to drop his hand from your face, but just as he did you grabbed it and held it in place.

“I just…I didn’t know that you felt something – I mean, _if_ you feel anything –” 

“I do,” Gabriel said, silencing your doubts, “but I don’t know that this is the best time to talk about it. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

You laughed at that, and once again moved in closer to snuggle against him. “I wouldn’t have let you in my bed if you made me uncomfortable, Gabe.”

“Good to know,” he chuckled, placing a fairy-light kiss to the top of your head as he wrapped his arms around you. “So…dinner tomorrow?”

You hummed, pretending to think about it, before replying, “That sounds nice.” Then a thought struck you, and though you were very happy things had turned out the way they had, you felt the need to ask, “Why didn’t you ask any of your other friends for a hug?”

Gabe was silent for a moment, and you wondered if you’d made a mistake, but then he began to speak.

“Jack is terrible at hugs. Just the worst. Ana would have been fine, but she would have asked me what was wrong and made me sit down and talk to her like she’s my therapist. She has enough to deal with. And if you think for one minute that I would have asked Jesse or Genji—”

“No, no, I understand,” you cut him off with a laugh, shaking your head just at the thought of either of those men trying to comfort their boss. “I’m glad you asked me,” you added that last bit softly, a bit muffled as you pressed your face into Gabe’s chest, but you felt an affirming squeeze right after.

“Me too,” he said, and though he’d said it once already, it meant more now that you both understand what you were talking about. You sighed dreamily as you began to relax, the two of you shifting ever closer as sleep claimed you, your conscious minds unable to hold you back from expressing your true feelings to one another.

**Author's Note:**

> I bet Reaper gives great hugs, just look at those arms.


End file.
